March Madness in the government

We are now a few weeks into the “NCAA March Madness” of the college basketball championships. In my past experience outside of the government, filling in the tournament brackets and following the events served to build community among co-workers, encouraging friendly competition and camaraderie.

Prior to its start this year, I received an interesting email addressed to all Health and Human Services staff in regard to March Madness.

We are now a few weeks into the “NCAA March Madness” of the college basketball championships. In my past experience outside of the government, filling in the tournament brackets and following the events served to build community among co-workers, encouraging friendly competition and camaraderie.

Prior to its start this year, I received an interesting email addressed to all Health and Human Services staff in regard to March Madness.

The email clarified that any betting, even a friendly wager that is considered a harmless social pastime, is against Federal regulations that prohibit gambling for money or property in the Federal workplace. Thus, you won’t find the March Madness tournament brackets publically displayed in our government offices.

Legally defined, gambling requires the following three elements:

1.Game of chance, which includes a raffle, lottery, sports pool, game of cards, and selling or purchasing of numbers slips or tickets.

2.Consideration for the opportunity to play the game, which includes a participation fee, a wager of money, and something of value in return for the potential to win a reward or prize.

3.An offering of a prize, which may include a monetary award, or items such as meals, drinks, gift certificates, tickets to event, cash, or administrative leave time.

Federal rules on gambling apply to employees while on duty or while on government-owned or -leased property. The exception would be undercover officers whose official duties necessitate gambling. The restrictions apply to not just Federal employees, but also to contractors, vendors, and the public while on government-controlled property.

The use of government equipment, such as computers and email (even emails sent from a personal account if done using a government computer), for gambling activities is prohibited. In addition, audio and video streaming from the internet of such things as sporting events is also prohibited because it could cause congestion, delay, or disruption of the government network.

The use of government equipment, such as computers and email (even emails sent from a personal account if done using a government computer), for gambling activities is prohibited. In addition, audio and video streaming from the internet of such things as sporting events is also prohibited because it could cause congestion, delay, or disruption of the government network.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Government.

Wenny Lin, PhD, MPH, is a fellow in the Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program at the National Cancer Institute. Prior to joining the Nutritional Epidemiology Branch in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics, Wenny earned her MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health in 2009 and her PhD in Cell & Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2008.